<p>Okay...so I've read about the worst...my daughter is starting her college search, finishing sophomore year. Where are THE BEST COLLEGE TOWNS in the USA? Love to hear what y'all have to say.</p>
<p>If you take on a rather expansive definition of 'college town' (as in the entire city) I'd say the northeast is full of them. Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, and DC are all great cities and chock full of college students.</p>
<p>Cambridge, Boston, Portland</p>
<p>East Lansing.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>etc.</p>
<p>A major city can't be a college town, even if it good for colleges, it isn't a college town. Colleges are the thing with a college town.</p>
<p>Well I do agree with DCS. Major cities generally arent college towns. The only exception is Boston imo. Theres just so many colleges in the city and most so close to each other that the environment in Boston (as a whole) gives it a college town feel.
But frankly bic cities are just as fun as College towns. They both have a ton to do.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor, MI
Athens, GA
Austin, TX
Boulder, CO
Burlington, VT
Cambridge, MA
Chapel Hill, NC
Charlottesville, VA
Gainesville, FL
Georgetown, DC
Madison, WI</p>
<p>Boulder is expensive for college stuents.. otherwise I agree.</p>
<p>Wasn't there already a thread like this? </p>
<p>BTW: I like Alexandre's list. I thought Berkeley was nice when I visited.</p>
<p>Pomona has two great "college towns":</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A sheltered 4 by 4 block area in Claremont adjacent to the Claremont Colleges with upscale restaurants, clubs, art museum, film noir theater, etc. <a href="http://www.thevillageclaremont.com/vilmap.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.thevillageclaremont.com/vilmap.html</a></p></li>
<li><p>LA just 32 miles away with train station one block from campus.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
[quote]
A major city can't be a college town, even if it good for colleges, it isn't a college town. Colleges are the thing with a college town.
[/quote]
Agree....
[quote]
BTW: I like Alexandre's list. I thought Berkeley was nice when I visited.
[/quote]
Berkeley is pretty run down...</p>
<p>My list:
Santa Barbara/Isla Vista (UCSB)
Chico (Chico State)
Eugene (University of Oregon)
Tempe (ASU)
Madison (University of Wisconsin)
Ann Arbor (University of Michigan)
Boulder (University of Colorado)
Iowa City (University of Iowa)
Chapel Hill (UNC)
Austin (UNC)
Athens (UGa)
Bloomington (Indiana University)</p>
<p>I've heard good things about Amherst (there are 3 colleges in the town), but have never been there. Cambridge is awesome, but isn't it considered part of Boston?</p>
<p>Annapolis, MD
Charlottesville, VA</p>
<p>I also second Berkeley. Campus life seems to infiltrate the entire city...local stores sell campus gear, local restaurants have photos of the sports teams, random buildings all over the place are affiliated with the school. The town offers a little bit of everything, also, with very artsy/cheap/"college-y" areas (Telegraph), newer, more upscale areas (4th St., Claremont), and plenty of in-between (College Ave.). There's also cheap, easy, and fast transportation right into San Francisco.</p>
<p>I also really love the town of Claremont (Claremont Colleges), but it garners very low ratings on other sites. It's quiet, and there are a lot of young families and senior citizens...less in-between. But the Village offers plenty to do in the evenings (and a car will get you even more), and is in the process of expanding ("college friendliness" is one of the main goals of the expansion).</p>
<p>Nyc Of Course!!</p>
<p>NYC isn't a "college town". It's a major city :P</p>
<p>Amherst, MA & Cambridge, MA are the top two out of the ones I've visited.</p>
<p>I disagree about Boston. It feels like a city - not a college town. I lived there a long time ago and the only place I ever noticed college students was in Cambridge.</p>
<p>Bridgeport, CT. You should know the name by now.</p>
<p>Ann Arbor (UMichigan)
Westwood (UCLA)</p>
<p>How can you say that Boulder is such a good college town?? Its soooo expensive.</p>
<p>Northampton, MA
New Haven</p>